Before English cricket considers corrective surgery in the aftermath of their Ashes embarrassment, they would do well to identify the real reasons for such a drastic and unexpected turnaround from the series they hosted a few months ago. The visceral reaction of a number of disillusioned English fans and experts is to call for widespread changes. Coach Andy Flowers head has been demanded, and if selecting were done by social media then neither Alastair Cook nor any other member of the team could be confident of their places.

Still, this is the same coach that took England from the depths of their 51 all out shame in Jamaica in 2009 to home and away Ashes victories and catapulted them to the top of the ICC test and One day International rankings. The same side, more or less, with the same coach, that came from behind to beat India 2-1 in their own backyard a challenge that proved too much for Australia shortly afterwards. And more significantly, the same team that defeated Australia 3-0 on English soil not long ago.

Logically then, this cannot be a bad England team. Nonetheless, the balance of power was dramatically tilted in Australia's favour in the two or so months between the two contests. The question: Why'

It could'nt be the playing conditions. Much the same English players travelled to Australia for the 2010/11 tour and the Australian wickets and weather held no terrors for them. Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen scored loads of runs, while Jimmy Anderson, Grame Swann, Chris Tremlett, and Tim Bresnan all took their share of wickets. It couldn't be a lack of preparation either. This England unit may be the most comprehensively drilled unit in world cricket, with their planning even including an 82-page list of catering demands more detailed than any previously seen. Also, three warm-up matches were scheduled before the first Test, the same as on their successful 2010/11 visit.

Again: What was it that so completely changed the nature of the battle between these two sides in so short a time'

The answer: Mitchell Johnson.

But not just Mitchell Johnson -- Mitchell Johnson at his quickest and best. The Mitchell Johnson that previously appeared only in spurts. The Mitchell Johnson that Dennis Lillee had prophesied about when he labelled him a once in a generation fast bowler when he was a 17-year old unknown.

His high-paced, short-pitched barrage delivered a shock to the England psyche in Brisbane and the tourists showed no signs of recovery during the entire series. If anything, things went further downhill from there, the lowest point being the spanking in Sydney that lasted, mercifully, only three days.

By means both brutal and crafty, the English batsmen were pressed into making poor decisions. Whether it was Cooks ill-advised hook shot to Johnson's third ball in the second innings at Adelaide, Pietersen's much criticized needless dismissals that had an infuriated Geoffrey Boycott calling for his head, or Michael Carberry's painful 12 off 81 balls in Melbourne, batsmen seemed unsure of the best way to go about constructing their innings.

It has to be mentioned that the left-arm fast man could not have done all this damage by himself. He was the leader of the pack and the main instigator, but Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle were worthy comrades who made use of the openings that Johnson's fire produced.

During India's recent visit to South Africa a chart was unveiled demonstrating that whenever Morne Morkel, with his prohibitive pace and steep bounce, was engaged in the attack, batsmen were more unlikely to push forward, even when facing the bowler at the other end. This, for sure, is concrete manifestation of the old adage of fast bowlers hunting in pairs: the forcefulness of one bowler pushing the batsman deep into his crease at one end provides wicket-taking opportunities to the bowler operating at the other.

Johnson charged in hard the entire series, sometimes reaching speeds of over 95 mph, pinning bruised batsmen firmly on the backfoot. Siddle, Harris and Nathan Lyon sailed along in his slipstream, racking up impressive performances of their own. For sustained and extreme fast bowling over an extended period, I daresay Johnson's effort has not been surpassed. Nostalgia will impel some to recall Tyson, Lillee, Thomson or Holding, but Johnson never once relaxed his pace or his spiteful intent during the five games, and many who witnessed Lillee and Thomson in 1974/75 and 1975/76 agree that Johnson should not be placed behind the two pace-bowling legends.

Thirty-seven wickets at less than 14 runs per wicket tell the tale of the hold Johnson had over the visitors. It was more than just the wickets; the entire team seemed to have been stuck in a prolonged choke, displaying utter confusion in selection, approach and captaincy. Nothing they tried made a jot of difference and the only morsel of encouragement was the emergence of Ben Stokes as an all-rounder of match-winning potential.

Ridiculed by English fans three years ago, Johnson barrelled through the series like a man focused on exacting vengeance for the earlier humiliation heaped upon him. He was the one responsible, in the main, for the reversal of fortunes that both teams experienced. In scripting such an unforeseen turnaround, he stunned a smug England team, violently striking them off their high horse, and defied the prognostications of pundits galore, some of who must now wish that their pre-series offerings be expunged from the records. It is a performance that not even the bowler himself, I believe, would have envisaged.

Having had the affliction of inconsistency as a much too frequent companion throughout his career, Johnson must now hope to have shirked his unwelcome acquaintance for good. The South Africans, who will face Australia in just a few weeks, better hope that the demon fast bowler chooses to return to his old ways when both teams line up at Super Sport Park, Centurion.

Cricket Australia High performance director, Pat Howard has candidly admitted that he took a back-seat and allowed Darren Lehmann, the coach of the Australian team to implement his ideas during the recently concluded Ashes series.